


reunion

by yahootoldyou



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Anakin Has No Chill, Angst, Clone Wars, F/M, M/M, Sith Obi-Wan, Sith Yoda, he gets it from Obi-Wan, the jedi are screwed
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-07
Updated: 2016-12-12
Packaged: 2018-08-29 14:58:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8494348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yahootoldyou/pseuds/yahootoldyou
Summary: Anakin Skywalker is a General for the Galactic Republic and he's a Jedi Knight. He's got a lovely wife and a spunky Padawan. he's got two battalions of clones relying on him and a council full of really old Jedi (Mace really resents that description) relying on him. Only one thing is missing for him and it's his former Master who disappeared two years earlier only to come crashing back into his life with a massive plot twist.Or: The one where Anakin is somewhat stable until Sith Lord Obi-Wan drops right back into the middle of his life and screws everything up for him.





	1. the battlefield

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you guys like chapter 1! Let me know what you think in the comments below!

“Get back!” General Skywalker runs through the battlefield. There are bodies littering the ground around him, blood splattering through the air, blaster bolts zooming by him at alarming rates. He has been spotted, he knows, being tracked by the Negotiator has become something he encounters everyday. Rex flanks him, his padawan, Ahsoka, far ahead of them charging the way back to the ship. His trust in her allows this, allows him to not panic every time she’s beyond an arm’s distance.

“General! He’s brought reinforcements today!” Anakin hears Rex and swears, pulling out a blaster, keeping it steady in his left hand while he deflects with the lightsaber in his right. Droids fall around him, nothing more than scrap metal. Before, when the war started, Anakin had looked at them as a waste of resources and life, but now he viewed their destruction as necessary. The clones around him fight loyally and brilliantly, the last thing they want to happen is for the Negotiator to finally catch their general. 

“Keep it up, Men! We can do this!” Anakin fights through a clump of battle droids, the mud sinking up to his ankles as he trudges forward. He can’t remember what planet they’ve landed on this time, can’t remember why they’re there. All he knows is that the Negotiator, the bastard he’s never even seen, let alone met, keeps hunting him down non-stop. The sky above him was pink when they arrived but it appears bloody now, everything around him thick with the scent of blood. He doesn’t know if it’s from the thick blood covering the muddy field he moves through or if it’s the masses of droids around him. He pushes forward regardless, to avenge those whose blood has spilled and to end the war sooner rather than later. 

“Anakin!” His head snaps towards Ahsoka and he pushes ahead faster, his lightsaber raised in defense. he cant see it but his facial features have twisted into an angry snarl, his hands clenched tightly around the hilt of his weapon, his escape method. 

“Ahsoka! Are you alright?” He yells back, still unable to see his padawan. 

“I’m okay, Master! We’re almost through the fleet!” Another wave of overhead blaster bolts rains down on them and he covers his head, waiting for the calm before the storm to reply to his student. 

“Good work, Snips! Push ahead and grab the ship, the boys and I will finish up here!” He turns back to face the battle with a smile on his face. He’s going to escape the clutches of the Negotiator once again. Blue plasma swings through the air in giddy victory, Anakin Skywalker elated that he once again has bested this elusive enemy. There are clone bodies amongst the droids that Anakin does his best not to step on, their honor more important than winning a battle. He won’t be able to honor them fully the way they deserve so he takes what little measures he can to ensure they receive even the barest form of respect. 

He’s swinging the weapon around when a well timed black glove grabs his wrist, holding the arm so that Anakin can’t strike his assailant. He growls, looking up into yellow eyes.

“Hello, Dear One,” the man purrs and Anakin snarls, dropping the blaster and calling his saber into his left hand before bringing it up, hoping to sever the limb that holds him tightly. Instead, a red blade meets his blue and his eyes widen as he finally sees who is standing in front of him. He presses in further out of sheer shock and fear, his aggression disintegrating with every second further he looks into this man’s yellow eyes. 

“You-“ A finger is placed to his lips as a sinister grin works it’s way onto the Negotiator’s face. That’s who it is. The Negotiator otherwise known as Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin’s brother that disappeared on Ryloth two years ago. Anakin feels the tears behind his eyes well up and he swallows audibly. 

“It’s me, Anakin…” Anakin hears it behind the loud banging noises of war. The yellow eyed Obi-Wan smiling down at his boy, his Anakin.

“Obi-Wan-“ He starts before a sharp pinch in his neck cuts him off. He hears the screaming and the sounds of war around him, but they seem far away from him. His head is swimming and he’s overwhelmed with the need for sleep. He hears Obi-Wan whispering to him the way he used to do when they were still master and padawan and he allows himself to forget that the man is more than likely going to kill him as he is lulled into a peaceful, deep sleep.

 

 

ONE YEAR AGO

 

“Snips, get out of the line of fire!” Anakin orders while striking down droid after droid. Dantooine had managed to stay out of the war until they were attacked by Separatist troops and had called for Republic reinforcements. The Jedi Order had only sent their best, Master Skywalker and Padawan Tano along with the 212th and the 501st. While the 212th was originally under the command of General Kenobi, he had disappeared on Ryloth a year ago. Pangs of hurt and loss still shoot hard through Anakin when it’s brought up, but it was only right that Anakin take his clones. They had worked together so closely before Obi-Wan’s death, because that’s what Anakin had to believe it was, and so they would adapt most easily to his command. 

“But Master! I have to protect Rex’s back!” He sighs and gives up. Ahsoka has proven her abilities and he knows she won’t listen to him even if he forces the issues. A shadow passes overhead and they all look up towards it, even the droids. 

“Is that the Negotiator?” Anakin hears a droid ask his companion before he strikes them down and fights his way towards Ahsoka and Rex. 

“Cody, make sure all the men in the field head back towards the ship! This doesn’t look good!” He shouts back towards the Commander who nods and salutes, moving in the opposite direction. Anakin catapults himself over wreckage and bodies, momentarily wondering when the horrors of war will affect him psychologically if they haven’t already and landing in front of Ahsoka and Rex who are gaping up at a massive ship.

“Sir…” Rex breathes out and Anakin swears, straightening next to them. 

“Master… What is that?” Ahsoka asks and Anakin doesn’t respond, looking up at the massive structure. There is something that feels incredibly off about it but he can’t place what it is. They stand in awe until a hatch opens and they see more droids ready to be moved into the battle field. 

“Let’s go, we have to get to the ship!” He shouts, knowing well that their depleted forces won’t be able to defeat however many hundreds of thousands of droids are inside the massive ship. Anakin, Ahsoka, and Captain Rex race back over the carnage and away from what ever the hell has just joined the war effort. 

“Force,” Anakin breathes out heavily as they sprint, “I wish Obi-Wan was here. He’d negotiate the shit out of whoever just plopped themselves in the middle of the battlefield.” He doesn’t catch the worried glance Ahsoka sends him as they finally reach the ship. They head to the cockpit and settle in, fleeing the planet and reporting back to the council that their aid mission to Ryloth was a failure with sure destruction if they had stayed any longer. 

Anakin shuts off the comm and slumps down in his chair, running a hand down his tired face. There’s dry flecks of blood and dirt when he looks at his hand again and he suppresses a groan. All the responsibility he’d been given when Obi-Wan had disappeared had weighed heavily on Anakin, still a new Knight, and yet it had matured him. He was more in control of himself, of his emotions. He had Padmê back home, but he knew she could protect herself, the same way Ahsoka could. Losing Obi-Wan had meant losing his crutch, his fallback. He couldn’t be unstable and expect someone to clean up after him anymore because the man who did that was gone from him forever. It is the loss of innocence, of parental guidance that forged the leader he had become. He misses Obi-Wan but he knows without his loss he would still be that self-centered teenager. 

“Master?” Ahsoka interrupts his thoughts and he looks up at her serenely. He was still happy with what they had accomplished, even if they had lost in the long run. 

‘Yeah, Snips?” His eyes are so heavy, sleep calling to him as he slumps further down in his chair.

“Do you miss him?” He straightens a bit, the question causing him to push himself upwards again. Both of them deserved an honest answer to this; Ahsoka and Obi-Wan. 

“I miss him everyday. He was my Master, my brother, the closest thing I ever had to a father, but honestly not at all like a father. It’s hard to explain, I never respected him in that regard even if thats what it technically was. He was my closest friend and my biggest supporter and… I loved him,” he finishes. It’s true and he can admit it. He loved Obi-Wan Kenobi more than he’s loved almost anything. Yes, he loves Padmé, but it’s different. A different love and yet so similar… Ahsoka seems to be satisfied with his answer though so he allows sleep to come to him again and this time he allows himself to give in. 

 

 

PRESENT

 

The world startles back to him and he awakens with a jolt. He’s on a ship, can feel the vibrations that indicate space travel and the closest thing Anakin has felt to home since Obi-Wan disappeared… Before he’d reappeared. The sheets he’s intertwined with are a red color so deep it rivals freshly spilt blood and he looks around the room. It’s dark and has no viewports, but it’s lavishly furnished. Everything in the room alludes to affluence and wealth. The bed’s expensive sheets and duvet remind him of his one on Coruscant with Padmé and he snuggles deeper in them, eyes scanning for Obi-Wan. He doesn’t see him and deems it safe to go back to sleep. Whatever explanation Obi-Wan has for all of this can wait another hour or two.

 

 

When he awakes again the drugs have fully worn off and his comfortable state is stolen out from under him. The reality of his situation is at the forefront of his mind. He launches forward and he fights when a hand the color of ivory forces him back down, shushing him.

“Anakin, Anakin, it’s okay, you’re alright,” the familiar voice calms him despite the lingering panic and he resolves to ask Obi-Wan about the state of his loved ones. 

“Ahsoka? Rex? Cody? Padmé? Artoo?” Obi-Wan stifles a laugh.

“All perfectly okay. Your ship escaped with your Padawan and the clones and I haven’t touched your wife or your insufferable droid.” Anakin huffs in relief, visibly settling back in the bed. 

“How are you alive?” He asks and Obi-Wan tsks, an unhappy frown taking over his features. He looks away from Anakin’s face and Anakin feels the urge to reach a gentle hand up towards him and force him to look at him. His hand stays still by his side. He thanks the force. 

“That’s a story for another day. At the moment, I have a proposition for you.” Obi-Wan responds and Anakin feels the frown on his own face mirror Obi-Wan’s. He wants to know what hurt him, what forced him to turn his back on the Jedi, on Anakin. What made Obi-Wan abandon him because if he’s really been alive this whole time he could’ve come back, could’ve come home. Instead, he gives his friend a curt nod.

“Why, Anakin… My lovely Anakin, I want you to join me.” Anakin looks up at him and laughs, so sure it’s a joke. That Obi-Wan is playing a practical joke to get back on Anakin for all the grievances he gave Obi-Wan when he was younger. The man’s face just grows stony however, and Anakin cuts himself off. 

“Oh… You’re serious?” He wants to shove his foot in his mouth to make sure he shuts up at this point.

“Very serious, Dear One.” Anakin feels very much like the prey in the den of the lioness. Or, in this case he guesses, the Sith Lord. He swears in his head and lets his head fall back against the pillows. Honestly, this stuff only ever happens to him.


	2. The New Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> anakin finds out some disturbing truths

Anakin shifts, red sheets tangling around his legs. He hasn’t moved really, just allowing Obi-Wan to come and sit by him, whispering promises Anakin knows are hollow. The truth is, Anakin doesn’t want to leave all that much. The very knowledge that Obi-Wan is alive and is so close to him enough to keep him planted to his seat at the moment. He keeps mumbling to Anakin about secrets hidden in the dark and Anakin wants to laugh. Obi-Wan speaks not of himself and yet thats exactly what he had been to Anakin, a secret hidden in the dark. The walls around him are dark durasteel and he feels only little comfort from the familiar sensation of flying. 

The thing about Anakin and secrets is that he’s horrible with them. He keeps them on his sleeve with his heart for the rest of the galaxy to see and judge. He misses Padmé with an angry hunger, one that eats away at the very lining of his stomach and pressures him into actions he’d rather not take. The yellow of Obi-Wan’s eyes startle him no matter how many times or often he sees them, they shake him to the marrow of his bone and laugh at his suffering. He shudders when he thinks of his former master and just looks up at the dark ceiling, hoping to put things like that out of his mind. Obi-Wan comes to visit usually twice a day, keeping obvious tabs on his former student. Anakin sees the lingering of looks there that he’d once dreamed of and yet, when they appear in yellow eyes instead of crystal blue, they aren’t quite the same. 

“Master, no! He won’t be able to handle it!” Anakin can hear Obi-Wan from the hall and rolls his eyes, picturing the old wrinkly creature that took his Obi-Wan from him. They are moving fast, Anakin hearing the rapid footfalls as they land right outside of his chamber. Cell. Whatever it is Obi-Wan stuck him in. He keeps his gaze towards the ceiling, not wanting to give the Sith Master even an inkling of his respect or time. He hears the click of the door and the pleading grunt Obi-Wan gives his Master. Anakin’s eyes strain to look down with curiosity, but he keeps them up as the two dark side users enter the room. 

“Handle it, he must, or face my consequences, he will. Like them, he will not.” Anakin gasps, his eyes flying down as he goes rigid. There’s only one creature who speaks in such an odd way. His eyes make contact with the bright yellow of Jedi Master Yoda and Anakin knows he must be dead. He did some horrible thing to end up in purgatory because this, whatever it is, is both insane and a nightmare. The small green creature lets out a cackle Anakin has never heard before and he visibly flinches, making the Master laugh even harder. 

“Master, please. This must be such a shock for him,” Yoda stops and give Obi-Wan a hard look for his request. Obi-Wan’s head bows in submission and the twist of Yoda’s lips shows he is pleased with the obedience. 

“Hello, again, Young Skywalker,” Yoda greets, bowing slightly in respect even as there remains an amused, mischievous glint in his eyes. Obi-Wan moves to stand behind the Master, his eyes downcast. Anakin moves his eyes to Obi-Wan and fixes them there, knowing the yellow in Obi-Wan’s eyes will always be easier to see than Master Yoda’s. 

“What’s going on?” Anakin croaks out, throat dry from lack of water that day. He sees the smirk on Yoda’s face grow as Obi-Wan once again looks between them nervously. Yoda holds up a hand in peace, signaling to Obi-Wan that he will not hurt his apprentice, that it is not his place. Obi-Wan visibly deflates and steps back again, much to Anakin’s displeasure. 

“Disappointed in you, I am, that you have not figured it out yet.” There’s obvious mirth and at the apparent assurance of Anakin’s safety, Obi-Wan’s suave, smooth confidence returns. It strikes an important nerve with the Young Jedi, reminding him that Obi-Wan does have a weakness. Anakin himself. 

“Master Yoda, forgive my confusion! It appears to me that you’re a Sith and that can’t be true!” Anakin forces out of his lungs, suddenly afraid of the creature. Yoda’s head tilts back with the force of his laughter and even Obi-Wan cracks a couple chuckles until the door opens and Count Dooku comes strolling in. Anakin’s hand fly immediately to where his lightsaber should be, eyes alight in anger and the urge to kill. This seems to please Obi-Wan and Yoda, Dooku staring at him with a sneer. The older Sith says nothing, looking to Master Yoda. 

“A Sith, I am. A Sith, Dooku is and has always been. A Sith, Qui-Gon Jinn was, but agreed with my plans, he did not. Trained Obi-Wan as a Jedi, he did, despite my wishes, but matter now, it does not.” Anakin’s eyes are wide with shock and revulsion. His entire line is Sith, he is to inherit the title as well. There’s a tightening in his chest of what that means, the line of Yoda’s training, of family… Obi-Wan moves and stands by Anakin, grabbing his hand and holding it, dragging a comforting thumb down the side.

“Why?” Anakin asks, needing to know why such pristine Jedi, the true icons of the Order, Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi are Sith Lords. How something like this even happens. The force rings with the truth of it, with the obvious nature of the men before him. The dark side rolls off of each in steady waves so unlike the character of Maul. He remembers something important. 

“But Maul was a Sith and he killed Master Jinn!” He’s grasping at straws, needing to wake up from this dream as soon as he possibly could. Obi-Wan tenses beside him and Anakin clenches his tighter in reflex. Obi-Wan, no matter whether he is Sith or Jedi, is on Anakin’s side. Of that, Anakin has always been sure.

“Maul belongs to Sidious, the man I am currently deceiving,” Dooku responds before continuing, “Sidious is planning an overthrow of the Jedi Order with his new line of Sith, unaware that the Sith have remained much longer and much smarter than himself.” There’s still a sneer to his tone, but now Anakin sees it reflected in the eyes of both Yoda and Obi-Wan. They consider the mastermind of this war beneath them. Anakin feels a part of him reach out towards them, wanting to know what this kind of power must feel like, being more powerful than the Sith Lord who haunts the galaxy. He clamps down on it forcibly, not allowing it to escape his shields. Obi-Wan quirks an eyebrow at him and Anakin feels prodding along their old bond.He flinches at the first contact in years, but holds on to Obi-Wan’s hand tighter than ever before. 

“So… If those Sith want to bring down the Jedi, what do we want?” Yoda’s eyes brighten in joy, and he can feel Obi-Wan’s pleasure radiating in thick waves. He stiffens allowing what he just said to set in. He gasps, his mechanical hand coming up to grasp his mouth in utter shock.

“I-I mean-I mean I-“ He sighs and just allows his cheeks to flush. He hadn’t meant it, had he? Certainly he is a part of the lineage but so is Ahsoka and… Snips! Anakin stiffens and removes his hand from Obi-Wan’s. 

“Don’t misunderstand, Skywalker, Sith we are, and the end of the Jedi, we seek. It is a matter, between us and the other Sith, of who gets there first.” Yoda says and the other two nod, making the twisting inside of Anakin get violent. They want to destroy the Jedi. That means Ahsoka and the other padawans. 

“Why?” He breathes out, looking solely into the eyes of the man he trusts. The man he loves. If he’s still there. 

“Because, Anakin, the system is corrupt. We want to fix it, to bring order to the galaxy where the others want chaos,” Obi-Wan’s smooth silver tongue fills the room and Anakin finds himself instinctively leaning towards it. 

“And the Jedi?” He asks again. The three in front of him seem to stiffen but they keep up the easy attitude and environment. Obi-Wan seeks him through their bond, reassurance and warmth flooding through it. Anakin wants to believe him, would’ve without a second guess before he’d disappeared but Anakin had Ahsoka and Padmé to think about along with his clones. He couldn’t afford to be selfish anymore. 

“The Jedi are antiquated. Yoda says we will take the ones that are willing to stand by our side and the rest may have to go,” Obi-Wan answers, Yoda and Dooku apparently sensing that Anakin did not care for their take on the subject. Anakin trusts Obi-Wan, and only him, to assure him the safety of his loved ones. Which Anakin had already made him do but in light of new information, he felt he had a right to hear it again. Anakin’s blue eyes meet Obi-Wan’s yellow and he grasps his hand closer. In their bond, Obi-Wan promises Anakin to keep them safe. He will have to live with that for now.

“What do you want from me?” He finally asks, and basically hears Dooku roll his eyes. He shoves down the urge to take the saber off of Obi-Wan’s belt with the force and decapitate the Separatist. The not Separatist. You know, Anakin still isn’t sure what he is other than a great big dick. Obi-Wan chuckles lowly next to him and Anakin flushes, he must have been projecting.

“Isn’t it obvious? You’re family, Anakin, we want you to join us,” Obi-Wan pleads and Anakin looks around at Yoda, who has a smile plastered on his face, and Dooku, who just nods his way, lips quirking in the corners. Everything Anakin has ever wanted, a family, could be his if he just gives in to the darkness that always hides in his veins. 

“And Ahsoka?” Because Anakin is an adult and she is his responsibility. Because he loves her and needs to make sure she will be safe before he proceeds. In the back of his mind, he wonders when he became such a dad. Oh well, it’s worth it if it’s for Ahsoka. 

“Padawan Tano is of lineage as well. She will be welcome among us as openly as you are.” This time, it’s Dooku who reassures him and Anakin almost gasps in surprise. He can’t join the Sith, he swore to never but… But that was when the Sith had no face and no name. Now, the mantle of Sith belongs to his darling Obi-Wan, to Jedi Master Yoda. Ahsoka would be safe, would remain with him, Padmé and he could be together openly, and Obi-Wan will once again stand by his side. The dark is so tempting, just at the edge of his mind, wanting to devour him. 

“Do I have to hurt people?” He asks and he feels Obi-Wan sag a bit. Bad news then. 

“Only what is necessary, will you do, Young Skywalker. Only what must be done to restore order!” Yoda’s gimer stick waves to punctuate each word. Anakin’s head bows beneath the pressure as he breathes deeply. Seconds seem to stretch on and on before his eyes raise to meet the three yellow pairs in front of him. Obi-Wan smiles when Anakin dips his head again before looking up, yellow seeping into the irises like a poison. He’s beautiful, a being once so full of light now completely with him in the night. Obi-Wan tightens his hand around Anakin’s and finally the eyes focus solely on him, on Obi-Wan, his master, his best friend, the love of his youth. Anakin smiles and leans upwards towards his brother, smiling at him.

“What do I need to do?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let me know what you think!


	3. rise of the sith

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the new sith order are making plans for the future.

“Darth Vader?” Obi-Wan asks the girl, a smuggler by the looks of her. The dingy clothing that looks far too worn, the old goggles around her head that help her sight, the blasters clipped to either side, and the old ripped gloves giving her away. The girl is large, rounded edges and a height that exceeds his own. She has kind but sharp eyes and a megawatt smile he concludes others must find charming.

“Yeah, man. You know like, big dark and dangerous? Wears an ominous cape to scare small children?” Her education sounds lacking, but appearances can be deceiving. Her sharp hazel eyes are far too intuitive to lack in education, the girl is a false pretense. This is a woman, one aged far too soon, and she knows more than she wants to let on. 

“I see. And you’ve met him?” Impossible. Anakin was still a Jedi most of the time, only using the suit as a disguise for his Sith actions occasionally. Obi-Wn would have to check in to see if he had been on Ryloth a couple weeks ago. 

“Yeah bro, saw him on Ryloth just a couple weeks ago. Gotta say, his breathing is scary. People don’t exaggerate about that kark.” Such language. Obi-Wan wants to tut disapprovingly, instead watching the girl with careful eyes. She’s shifting through a sack, looking for the part he wished to purchase from her. Her inventory was impressive, very well stocked.

“What would you say if I said he was a personal friend of mine?” She cracks a half smile at first, finally locating the part and holding out both hands, one with the part, the other awaiting payment. He stuffs a couple bills in her hand and smiles his smirk at her again. 

“I’d say you’re a crazy bastard, but to tell tall dark and dangerous hello from me.” With that, she zips up the sack and returns it to her bantha to make her way to Mos Espa from Mos Eisley where they currently lurked. 

“What’s your name, Young One? You run an honest business and I wish to know it should I find myself in a pressing situation someday.” I want to know your name so I may find and take you once the Empire takes over and Master Yoda rules the galaxy. 

“Susanna Greer, at your service…” He catches her drift. Deciding he likes this girl with her honesty and her harsh language he smiles.

“You may call me Ben.” She smiles and shoves a dirty gloved hand out towards him. He takes it, shaking it with fair pressure. Her smile is megawatt again before she hops back up onto her bantha, saluting him from above. 

“Later, Ben, catch you on the flip side!” With that she kicks it and leads it away. A bantha for the bantha-sized girl with the bantha-sized personality. He was endeared. Shoving the information away, he takes out his com and calls Anakin.

“Master?” The younger mans voice fills Obi-Wan with unmeasurable pleasure, the sheer fact that Anakin sided with him, went dark for him, enough to fuel his emotions endlessly.

“Hello, Dear One. Just checking in to ask why you were on Ryloth and then report that I have found a force sensitive on Tatooine.” He hears the scoff in Anakin’s throat, the scorn for the desert planet that seems to produce such strong force wielders. Susanna was a smuggler who made far too many profitable deals to be normal and she was untrained in her abilities. Obi-Wan takes out a datapad as Anakin forces out his response of-

“I wanted to try out the suit…” Obi-Wan chuckles at his apprentice’s antics. 

“Of course you did. I will keep this little adventure from Master Yoda,” Obi-Wan promises in fondness before continuing, “but take heed, Anakin. If people start telling stories about Darth Vader it’s bound to get back to both our Master and Sidious.” He hears Anakin sigh in resignation. His boy was just that still-a boy, and he’d been given a super suit and created a fancy new red lightsaber. Of course Anakin had taken them for a joy ride , of course he had.

“Yes, Master,” Anakin replies, all fond respect once again. The title isn’t exactly accurate even though he had been placed in charge of Anakin’s Sith training. The only Master in their Order was Master Yoda, but Anakin used it as a form of respect for the man he once learned under as a Jedi. 

“Anyway, Anakin, I need you to make a report to Master Yoda that I have found a potential member for our order,” he says, typing up his findings on ‘Susanna Greer,’ clearly somewhat of a fake name, telling all that he had deduced about her in their short interaction. He sends it on the secure link they all use to Anakin and hears the ding when it’s received. Anakin hums as he reads it, clearly interested in the girl who had caught Obi-Wan’s attention.

“You think she’s a good fit?” Anakin questions, his reservations from Obi-Wan’s report obvious and tangible through the force. The girl seemed so far from Obi-Wan’s usual type, loud and brash and- Okay Anakin gets it way too late. Obi-Wan’s type is exactly what he’d just described. 

“Anakin she’s a megawatt of emotional energy and the force practically dances around her.” Anakin sighs again and force lifts a glass sphere in front of his face inside of his apartment in the Temple. He can feel the brightening of his bond with Master Yoda, alerting him that he will soon find time to hear Skywalker’s recant of Obi-Wan’s findings. 

“Okay, Master. Just make your way back to Coruscant soon. I miss you when you’re gone, you know,” he flirts shamelessly, wishing Obi-Wan was there in person so he could through in a playful wink. 

“I will see you soon, Anakin. Wish Padmé well from me,” and with that the call disconnects, Anakin rolling his eyes in fond annoyance. It was no secret that he and Padmé would welcome Obi-Wan in their bed should he wish to be there, yet the man was still stubborn as kark. Anakin rolled his eyes. Obi-Wan apparently had a thing for brash, loud mouthed apprentices and emotional tendencies. Translation: Obi-Wan had a thing for Anakin. Anakin smiles, it’s only a matter of time. 

 

 

Master Yoda stands in a dark room far from the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, Dooku sitting criss-cross on the other side of the room. Obi-Wan is currently out in the universe looking for potential force users to bring into their Order once the Jedi and the other Sith fall while Dooku manages the war effort. In the Temple, Young Skywalker remains in the Temple whenever Yoda can spare him from the war effort, training in the dark side and looking for weaker willed Jedi who will more easily bend to Yoda’s plans and intentions. Yoda knows he has some of the strongest apprentices in existence at the moment and he allows himself a moment of pride for his students, his family. They are strong, capable, and loyal to him, not hungry for leadership. Yoda will provide them each with ample power to satisfy their hunger, he will give his chosen apprentices anything they wish. 

“Master, watch your pride, it’s so strong it’s slipping from your shields,” Dooku whispers from his meditation and Yoda snorts. His oldest living Padawan is sometimes so thick. He wraps nimble force fingers around their bond and tugs a bit harshly, watching with satisfaction as the man’s eyes wrench themselves open.   
“Only ever what I want you to know, will you feel, Apprentice. Understand me, do you?” He hears Dooku scoff lightly but hears the chuckles as well, indicating it was all in good fun. Yoda smiles at the man as they wait for their younger members to join them.

Suddenly, two young men pile through the door, limbs interchangeable they appear so connected. There are peals of laughter erupting from the Kenobi-Skywalker bundle and Yoda allows a fond smile to grace his features before banging his stick on the floor, causing the young men to fling apart from each other, sheepish grins on their faces. They were silly, but they were strong and Yoda could see the value in both characteristics. 

“Master,” both greet him with a bow and a grin, Skywalker saluting to Dooku who scowls at the blatant disrespect. Obi-Wan admonishes his apprentice with a glare and a wicked grin, earning him a squirming Anakin in response. Yoda bangs his stick again, gaining the attention of his apprentices. 

“Now, that your attention I have, explain the plan for the galaxy, I must.” Yoda looks them each in the eye.

“The beginning of a new era, we have reached.”

 

 

“How do I tell Ahsoka, Master?” Anakin asks as he and Obi-Wan walk the underground of Coruscant together. Happy to just stand side by side in the absence of any interrupting factors. Since they hadn’t seen each other in the months since Anakin’s turn after his first few weeks, this catch up session was long overdue for the two. Obi-Wan is deep in thought, unsure how to answer that question. 

“Carefully,” he offers, flinching at the hard glare his former padawan gives him in response. Okay, no joking matter then. Got it. 

“Anakin, you convince her. The way I convinced you. If you need my assistance I would be happy to-“ He’s interrupted by a frantic Anakin.

“No! She needs to hear it from me, from me alone. I couldn’t bare to hurt her,” Anakin pleads with his words for his master to understand, to take pity. Although in which form he is not yet sure of. 

“Anakin, I’m not sure what you’re asking me for if not my help.” Anakin wants to bang his head against the wall of the nearby ally. Obi-Wan just looks at him with confused eyes, his effort to understand palpable. Anakin smiles just a bit, happy he has such a responsive Master who makes actual effort in creating bonds with his apprentice. 

Kenobi is still officially dead so his hood stays up however, Anakin’s stays up because he doesn’t want any Jedi to recognize him while he walks and talks with a dead Jedi, a risen Sith. They walk in silence for a while before reaching the garage that holds the machines that will carry him back to the Jedi temple and the one that will carry Obi-Wan to his ship to embark on the next branch of his mission. He found twelve force sensitives in the Outer Rim and now was going to search Core Worlds for those who could help build their Order. As they enter, Anakin pulls the man up to his tippy-toes and plants a fat, wet kiss on his Master’s lips who sputters in utter shock. Anakin drags a finger down from Obi-Wan’s eye to his jaw before releasing him. 

“Be honest with Ahsoka, Anakin. You can’t take her choice from her and you can’t force her to join us, not when you care so much for her.” Anakin nods at the man he wishes could stay next to him for the rest of eternity. Obi-Wan straddles his speeder and looks at Anakin with wise eyes. 

“See you soon, my dear Anakin. Please stay safe for me,” Anakin blushes in response no matter how often Obi-Wan has said that before to him. Obi-Wan blows him a kiss before igniting the engine and roaring away into the distance, once again out of Anakin’s life. As Skywalker boards his speeder he directs it towards Padmé’s, knowing he has to talk to his padawan in the morning. Someday, he will have Obi-Wan in their bed and not just the lingering presence in his head. 

“Bye, Obi-Wan,” he whispers, roaring off in the opposite direction of his Master, back to the life he once lived so honestly and now pretends to be a part of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let me know what you though of the chapter! I know time is moving pretty quickly, a lot of time shifts happen but i promise it's all to reach the main plot and conflict of the story. Hope everyone had a great thanksgiving if you celebrate it!


	4. Ahsoka

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> anakin and ahsoka finally talk

“Skywalker, are you even listening?” Mace levels him with a glare, one that could send anyone reeling in anxiety.

“Not particularly,” Anakin snarks, an eyebrow raised as he looks at the Jedi. He wants to end the life of this man, this particular annoyance in his life. Mace Windu is everything Anakin ever wanted to be. He is the perfect Jedi, he has position, he has power, he has control. He would have idolized Windu if not for the obvious fact that the man absolutely did not like him whatsoever. In fact, if Jedi were allowed to kill, Anakin is sure Mace would have killed him a long time ago. The knowledge that Mace was right to never trust him floats through his psyche, but he ignores it. There’s still the raw pain and doubt that this is wrong. That this, the family he is building himself, goes against the morality and goals he’d been striving towards for so long. 

“I thought so. Skywalker, you’re dismissed. Please come back when you’re ready to listen,” although Mace isn’t rude, his voice has the tone of one long sigh, full of annoyance and dismissive indifference. Anakin feels his fingers twitch slightly, catching the sheer mischief and joy in Yoda’s eyes as he turns on his heel and walks out, cloak billowing dramatically behind him. He knows Mace Windu doesn’t like him and the part of him that still remains in the light drowns in guilt and misery. Anakin, however, mostly just feels anger at being treated like a child. He walks down the corridors, hoping that when the time comes, Yoda lets him take the “perfect Jedi” out himself. Trash.

 

 

Obi-Wan is on Dantooine, the barren land giving him a reprieve of his responsibilities. He had stopped here only twice during his time as a Jedi and there had never been any significant thing to draw him to return. He appreciates the isolation, however, taking in the scent of the trees and the faint whiff of fresh water. The clean smell draws him to a lake side, where he takes his tunics off and lays on a rock in the pleasant heat of the sunlight. His eyes slip shut and he allows a small grin to spread across his face. Obi-Wan breathes gently, allowing the air to move in and out, in and out. 

There’s a muffled noise from where he tied the girl to a tree. The reason he’d come to Dantooine in the first place thrashes against the restraints. He sighs, cracking an eye open again. 

“Could you keep it down over there? Some of us are trying to enjoy the nice weather,” he laughs at his own joke, watching as the smuggler rolls her eyes and pulls against the restraints again. He smirks and uses the force to undo the gag around her mouth. 

“You bastard! I don’t even know you! What could you possibly want from me?…” The questions continue, assaulting Obi-Wan’s serenity. He feels tempted to pull the gag back up over her lips but he refrains. She has just been kidnapped, her assault is to be expected and accepted.

“We met, on Tatooine, though I’m not sure you remember, and my Master thinks you have potential.” Susanna huffs at being interrupted, pulling once again at the restraints. Obi-Wan rolls his eyes. 

“Those can contain me, Young One, you don’t stand a chance,” he drawls. He wants her to cease these attempts at escape. They are frequent, annoying, and getting them no where. The girl’s hazel eyes turn fully towards him and even with him basked in light and her in the shadow, he can see the apprehension in them. 

“Potential for what?” The calculating intelligence is still present, despite the mask of fear. This girl is seasoned, she wants him to believe she is harmless so he will release her. Very smart. Too bad he knows all of the smuggling tricks far too well. 

“To be taught. You are to be a gift to a friend of mine, to be bent and shaped to both his will and the will of the Sith,” the word means something to Susanna, who stiffens and her eyes narrow into slits. Obi-Wan had underestimated her, anyone who knew the word Sith has a talent for gaining information. He smiles and leans back on the rock, tuning out her further questions by humming a tune he used to sing to Anakin. It’s from Tatooine, Anakin had learned it from his mother, and Obi-Wan hopes Susanna recognizes it. He doesn’t lean up to see whether or not she does, instead allowing his eyes to slip shut and think of Anakin. Of the gift he has secured for the boy. 

 

 

“Hey, Snips,” Anakin greets as he cracks the door to his and Obi-Wan’s chambers open. Obi-Wan obviously hasn’t lived in here with him since his disappearance a little over two years ago, but they’re never home anyway so he never moved Snips in with him. It had felt wrong, having someone other than Obi-Wan share the space with him. Perhaps it had been the small part of him who had known, deep down, that Obi-Wan wasn’t really dead. The smaller girl walks in and perches in her usual spot on his couch, where they have spent many nights watching holofilms. Ahsoka loves the action ones, but Anakin himself enjoys the dramas. They remind him of his life. Like the situation he currently finds himself in, for example. 

“What is it, Skyguy? You sounded serious on the com,” she kicks her feet up, probably expecting war news from the front lines, trying to remain calm about whatever tragedy has happened this time. He swallows somewhat audibly. She’s never deserved to be raised in a war, to go through things no sentient ever should. The guilt and anger direct themselves towards the order and before he can think about it, before he can even recognize it’s happened, Ahsoka is gasping, bringing her knees to her chest. Her blue eyes are wide with fear and betrayal as she looks into the yellow eyes of Anakin Skywalker. Of Darth Vader. 

“Let me explain!” He cries out quickly before she has any opportunity to run away from him or worse, pull her sabers out and demand he fight her for his treachery. That’s what he would’ve done, if Obi-Wan had told him this way, he’s almost sure. It would be like him to jump to conclusions and attack one of the only people he loves without thinking about it. That would be like him. Not Ahsoka though, who sits looking past his head at the wall where he has a holopic of himself and Obi-Wan at a celebration ball after a successful diplomatic mission. He wishes he could hear her thoughts, but her end of their bond is shut tight, not a peep escaping from it.  
“The Negotiator is Obi-Wan. That’s who captured me all those months ago,” her eyes are welling with tears as he finishes. He knows he has to continue, has to make her understand, to join him. He can’t lose her, he wont. She will join him. The conviction and determination he feels spurs him on and he sits next to her, ignoring the way her lekku tense, taking her hands in his. 

“When Master Yoda rescued me, he didn’t. Instead I was sat in a room with Obi-Wan, Yoda, and Count Dooku,” she stiffens fully before he continues, “they’re composing a Sith order and because I am of their lineage they wanted me to join them. They promised I could keep you safe and be with Padmé openly and… And I joined them.” She still hasn’t responded but he feels her fingers twitch in his. She has heard him, she hasn’t fled from the physical world into her mind where he can’t reach her. Her eyes blink in a flurry of motion for a second before they focus on him again.

“They… Master Yoda… What?” Her confusion is justifiable and understood given she cant see Sith Yoda in front of her like he could when this was all explained to him. 

“He’s a Sith. He has always been one. Now that Darth Sidious has played his card early, Yoda has been forced to spark his order to life much earlier than he would’ve liked and without one of his apprentices, Qui-Gon who was killed by Sidious’ apprentice Maul who was killed by-“ she waves him on with her hand and a gentle breeze of the force. She’s heard the story of how Obi-Wan was knighted and he and Anakin became a Master/Padawan duo many times. 

“You’re in this Order? You left the Jedi?” He sighs, knowing now is the hard part. The part where he tries desperately to bring Ahsoka to their side. 

“They offered me my Master back and the opportunity to love openly and have a family. To keep you and Rex and Artoo safe. They offered me everything I ever wanted, Snips. How could I say no?” She whimpers a bit, the tears finally spilling onto her cheeks. She nods however, knowing her Master and knowing that yes, that is everything he’d ever wanted. She takes too long to figure out that if Anakin is of lineage then she is also. She freezes, her eyes raising to meet Anakin’s, whose shine of hope and expectance. Ahsoka flinches, knowing that he wants her to be with him. She wants that too, but her experience with the Jedi is much different then Anakin’s. These people, this temple, they are the only home she has ever known. On the other hand though, Padmê, Obi-Wan, and Anakin are her family, they are the ones who look out for her and keep her out of harms way. 

Ahsoka sits with her torso leaned over, elbows resting on her knees as she takes deep breaths. All her life, she has served the force, has done whatever it directed her to and yet this is the situation it hands to her. It occurs to her that she may not have to give up the temple or her home, at least for a little while. Anakin is still stationed here and she surely would also be, more than likely taking her leave from them when he did. The Jedi have become corrupt and she can feel deep down, and has felt for a while, that if she stays with the Jedi she will experience unbearable pain and betrayal. She knows now it isn’t Anakin turning to the Sith, something she probably should have seen coming from miles away. The betrayal she fears is still on the horizons for her, but maybe it would disappear if she joined her Master. 

There is a wildness to you, young one. Seeds of the dark side planted by your master. Do you feel it…

The decision is easier than it should have been. She knows she hasn’t thought this all the way through, hasn’t considered all of the consequences that could occur because of this. She looks up at her Master, her big brother, her best friend and nods.

“I’ll join you, Master,” she declares and can feel as her shields lift, the dark side having permission to infiltrate her mind and body. She feels power and want surge through her, the need to conquer and establish dominance. The world is sucked into a black hole and spewed out in new light. She smiles, looking up at her Master with bright yellow eyes where they used to be blue and he represses a shudder. This girl, this deception, is something he wanted and so he must deal with the consequences, the loss of the innocent blue eyes. 

“You have no idea how happy this makes me, Snips.” Anakin watches her move to the window, watches her look out below on the group of initiates doing beginner katas in the courtyard. He wonders if she feels he robbed her of her life of a proper Jedi, the life she was so sure of and worked so hard for. She sniffles again, watching what could have been, what once was before she turns back to face Anakin and cracks a small smile. 

“Yeah, well, don’t make me regret it, Anakin.” She uses his name, and he pauses. She doesn’t flinch though, continues looking him straight in the eye. Hearing his name from her lips is strange, but he allows it. He’s just thrown her entire existence into turmoil. 

His com is in his hand and he sends out a signal to Yoda, Dooku, and Obi-Wan, alerting that a meeting is absolutely necessary at some point. He leans towards her, bringing her into a hug and keeping her there. He doesn’t have to lose anybody, he wont lose anybody. They continue their embrace for a while, Ahsoka coming to terms with her decision while Anakin smirks in victory above her. His eyes are yellow. The dark side rejoices.


End file.
